Authentic Relationships!

How many times in your life could you say that you have felt a genuine sense of oneness and unity in your relationships?

Unfortunately, when it comes to the church, there are too many people who carry with them a negative report of broken relationships and wounded souls. Yet, the church is called to be the greatest apologetic of the gospel the world has ever seen.

Why is it the Church struggles to cultivate authentic relationships at times?Let me suggest 4 reasons among others:

Reality of Spiritual Warfare – We have an enemy who hates the church and all it stands for.

Our Sinful Nature – When our flesh can’t get what it wants it pollutes our relationships.

Pressure to Perform – Salvation by works manifests as pharisaical moralism.

Busyness of life in western culture – Busyness skims through life and produces shallow relationships.

Jesus’ High Priestly Prayer in John 17:1-26 has some incredible insight into the source of unity, the benefits of unity and why unity is important. We will unpack the insights in this passage over the next week.